1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a system and method for unifying the implementation and processing of mobile communications by various mobile devices and units and terminals that operate on various mobile communication protocols and in particular to a unified mobility manager system and method that is used to provide such unified implementation and processing of mobile communications by various mobile devices and units that operate on various mobile communication protocols. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to normalizing messages from the various mobile devices and units and terminals, to processing, handling, and responding to these normalized messages, and to converting the normalized responses back to respective communication protocols.
2. Description of the Related Art
For the present description, the term xe2x80x9cmobilexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmobilityxe2x80x9d is used to define and describe a device, unit, terminal, or system that is able to be moved from one location to another location, whether the device, unit, terminal, or system is a wireless system that is movable or a wireline system that is movable. Furthermore, for this present description, the phrase xe2x80x9cmobile communicationxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmobility communicationxe2x80x9d is used to define and describe communication protocols that track movement of such xe2x80x9cmobilexe2x80x9d devices, units, terminals, or systems from one location to another location and that provide and support communications for such xe2x80x9cmobilexe2x80x9d devices, units, terminals, or systems (i.e. whether these devices, units, terminals, or systems are wireless systems that are movable or wireline systems that are movable). As will be seen later in the specification, the present invention is not in any way limited to any particular communication device, unit, terminal, system, or respective communication protocol, and the present invention may be utilized with any device, unit, terminal, or system that is able to be moved from one location to another location (whether a wireless system or a wireline system) and with any communication protocol that tracks, provides, and supports communications for such devices, units, terminals, or systems from one location to another location.
In the telecommunications field, various access technologies and communication protocols exist. Examples of such access technologies and communication protocols are ANSI41 (North American Cellular), Group Special Mobile (GSM) network, cable modem network, mobile Internet protocol (IP), Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), data network, IS-136 Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), IS-54B Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and any other such technologies that provide voice and data applications to a mobile customer.
With reference now to the figures and in particular with reference to prior art FIG. 1, FIG. 1 illustrates that each of a number of conventional communication systems employing differing technologies and protocols requires its own serving system 10 for a mobile unit or device or terminal 14 to locate and find its own home system 12 in order to enable further communication based services to be provided to the mobile unit or device or terminal 14 (i.e. voice related applications, data related applications, or any other form of information exchange). A home system 12 is typically where the subscriber or user information resides, and a serving system 10 is any system that provides services to and that registers or attempts registration of a mobile unit or device or terminal 14 that is outside of its home system 12 by finding and forwarding a request(s) to the home system 12. FIG. 1 shows that the mobile system 14 is away from its home system 12 and is at a location in which it sends its request to the serving system 10. The serving system 10 then tracks, finds, and forwards the request to the home system 12 of the mobile system 14. The home system 12 has a home message processor 15 that processes the request. A response to the request is sent from the home message processor 15 to the mobile system 14 through the serving system 10.
FIG. 1 shows that each different type of mobile communication protocol involves a mobile unit or device or terminal type that requires and accesses its respective type of serving system and home system. For example, ANSI41 or North American Cellular (NAC) is the communication protocol for cellular communications in North America. FIG. 1 shows that if an ANSI41 mobile unit or device 14A (i.e. cellular telephone or device) is away from its home area (i.e. home system 12A), then the ANSI41 mobile unit or device 14A must communicate with a local and compatible ANSI41 serving system 10A. The local and compatible ANSI41 serving system 10A, in turn, finds and locates the home system 12A for that mobile unit or device 14A, which is an ANSI41 type, for the mobile unit or device 14A, and the serving system 10A sends a request(s) on behalf of the ANSI41 mobile unit or device 14A to its home system 12A. The home system 12A has an ANSI41 message processor or HLR 15A that is able to handle and process the ANSI41 request and sends back a corresponding response to the request.
FIG. 1 shows similar topologies for the GSM protocol, cable protocol, and Internet protocol (IP). For example, a GSM mobile unit or device 14B requires and is enabled with communications only through a GSM serving system 10B and a GSM home system 12B having a GSM message processor 15B that handles and processes GSM requests or messages. A cable modem mobile unit or device 14C similarly requires and is enabled with communications only through a cable modem serving system 10C and a cable modem home system 12C having a cable modem message processor 15C that handles and processes cable modem requests or messages, and an IP mobile unit or device 14D requires and is enabled with communications only through an IP serving system 10D and an IP home system 12D having an IP message processor 15D that handles and processes IP requests or messages.
Thus, each individual type of communication protocol, such as the ones discussed above, requires its own type of message processor at the home system and its own separate hardware system for implementation. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the communications provided and enabled by the home systems 12, 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D are tracked to respective mobile systems 14, 14A, 14B, 14C, and 14D. However, a person who possesses mobile devices or units of different communication protocol types generally has subscriptions to the services for those types of communication, and these subscriptions and services require separate provisions of the services and usually separate management and billing. Presently, cross-over for processing and handling the various messages and responses for the different communication protocols generally does not exist at this time. A system and method of unifying management of the various mobile communication protocols and of tracking a person with subscriptions to services of various mobile communication protocols do not exist. Furthermore, the unification of subscriptions of various communication services across various respective communication protocols under a single umbrella for each subscriber, user, or customer also does not exist at this time.
For example, if a person owns a cellular telephone and a mobile laptop computer with Internet access, then another person trying to reach that person has to separately dial the cellular telephone and separately send an e-mail message to communicate through the mobile laptop computer. A system and method of tracking the mobility communications of a person and allowing a unified manager to automatically try the various mobile communication protocols for which the person has subscription(s) does not exist. For example, such a method that does not exist involves a type of unified communication manager for tracking the communications mobility of the person by first trying to access the person""s cellular telephone and then automatically sending the e-mail message to the person""s mobile laptop computer if the person was not reached by cellular telephone.
Thus, each type of mobile communication protocol requires its own separate hardware system, management, and provision of service. Present tracking of mobile communications is generally to a mobile device or unit and is not linked in any way to a person. A person may own various mobile communication devices or units. In the present technology, the communications of all of the mobile systems are each maintained and managed separately and are not unified in any manner. A unified management of mobile communications would allow the tracking of mobile communications to a person. The concept of unification of communication mobility management irrespective of the various access technologies and protocols at the home system presently does not exist. Furthermore, the unification of subscriptions of various communication services across various respective communication protocols under a single umbrella for each subscriber, user, or customer also does not exist.
It would therefore be advantageous and desirable to provide a system and method for unifying the implementation and processing of mobile communications by various mobile devices and units and terminals that operate on various mobile communication protocols. It would also be advantageous and desirable to provide a unified mobility manager system and method that is used to provide such unified implementation and processing of mobile communications by various mobile devices and units and terminals that operate on various mobile communication protocols. It would still be advantageous and desirable to normalize messages from the various mobile devices and units and terminals, to process, handle, and respond to these normalized messages, and to convert the normalized responses back to respective communication protocols. It would also be advantageous and desirable to provide a unified hardware system for various types of mobile communication protocols. It would also be advantageous and desirable to provide a system and method that allow tracking of mobile communications to a person and to his/her subscription services for various mobile communication types. It would further be advantageous and desirable to unify maintenance and management of the mobile communications that are of various mobile communication protocol types. It would still further be advantageous and desirable to provide unification of mobility management irrespective of the various access technologies and protocols that exist at the home system. It would still also be advantageous and desirable to unify subscriptions of various communication services across various respective communication protocols under a single umbrella for each subscriber, user, or customer.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a system and method for unifying the implementation and processing of mobile communications by various mobile devices and units and terminals that operate on various mobile communication protocols.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide a unified mobility manager system and method that is used to provide such unified implementation and processing of mobile communications by various mobile devices and units and terminals that operate on various mobile communication protocols.
It is still a further object of the present invention to normalize messages from the various mobile devices and units and terminals, to process, handle, and respond to these normalized messages, and to convert the normalized responses back to respective communication protocols.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a unified hardware system for various types of mobile communication protocols.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a system and method that allow tracking of mobile communications to a person and to his/her subscription services for various mobile communication types.
It is still a further object to unify maintenance and management of the mobile communications that are of various mobile communication protocol types.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide unification of mobility management irrespective of the various access technologies and protocols that exist at the home system.
It is still also an object of the present invention to unify subscriptions of various communication services across various respective communication protocols under a single umbrella for each subscriber, user, or customer.
The foregoing objects are achieved as is now described. A system and method for unifying and handling network messages of various communication protocols from various mobile systems. The network messages are being handled at a home system for the various mobile systems. A gateway cluster has a number of gateways of different types of communication protocols. The gateway cluster receives the network messages of the respective communication protocols at the home system. The respective gateways convert the network messages to normalized messages by querying the categories, the data, and the network types of the normalized data for the mobile systems from which the network messages were respectively generated therefrom. A database system stores normalized data in categories. The normalized data at least includes data relating to the mobile systems and network types for the data. A unified mobility manager is coupled to and in communications with the gateway cluster and the database system. The unified mobility manager receives and processes the normalized messages, performs operations based on the normalized messages and on the categories, the data, and the network types of the normalized data, and formulates normalized responses responsive to the normalized messages. The normalized responses are converted to network responses at the gateways and the network responses are sent to the respective mobile systems. A normalized data structure is provided for the normalized data, and the data structure generally comprises network message data, a category type for the data, and a network type that is reflective of the communication protocol from the network message.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.